The Official Thread for Runners

[Moliere]

Honestly, I don't know where it came from. One moment I'm having a great run in Tokyo, the next I'm on a plane home and my ankle hurts. MRI on Monday.

I'm taking your advice on the boot, btw. It make my gait funny which makes my right hip hurt like crazy.

I wore a boot for two weeks while I healed from my first stress fracture. The doc said it would speed up the healing time. Of course I got injured again so I have no idea if it worked or not, but I did hate wearing it.

When I got a stress fracture in high school my doc told me to use crutches. I didn't use them at all and I was healed in time for the next year's track season.

[eldiente]

Knee tightness

I am four years post ACL reconstruction (with MCL tear non-surgical, lateral meniscus tear -fragments removed). Have been building mileage up slowly until now at abou 18-20 miles / week. Knee capsule seems very "tight" lately and pretty significant ITB pain the last 2 weeks. Can I ever hope to increase mileage sufficient to complete another marathon or am I doomed to 10Ks?

[ERCougar]

I am four years post ACL reconstruction (with MCL tear non-surgical, lateral meniscus tear -fragments removed). Have been building mileage up slowly until now at abou 18-20 miles / week. Knee capsule seems very "tight" lately and pretty significant ITB pain the last 2 weeks. Can I ever hope to increase mileage sufficient to complete another marathon or am I doomed to 10Ks?

There are worse things than being "doomed to 10Ks". It's probably the healthiest distance to get good at.

BUT...I wouldn't give up. Lots of people swear by foam rollers for ITB issues. There are also lots of stretches you can do. Google's your friend here. I don't know that any of them have been proven effective but it's a cheap thing to try. You can always change (or eliminate) shoes too--my only real bout with ITB problems was after buying a new pair of shoes (at a running store that even video'ed my stride--but not one I would ever refer anyone to now). Also, buy a book on running technique.

The real time-proven technique to eliminate ITB problems is to stop running as soon as you start getting a hint of pain or tightness. I did this, fixed my gait (as well as I could), and went more minimalist on shoes and I haven't had problems since.

[eldiente]

There are worse things than being "doomed to 10Ks". It's probably the healthiest distance to get good at.

BUT...I wouldn't give up. Lots of people swear by foam rollers for ITB issues. There are also lots of stretches you can do. Google's your friend here. I don't know that any of them have been proven effective but it's a cheap thing to try. You can always change (or eliminate) shoes too--my only real bout with ITB problems was after buying a new pair of shoes (at a running store that even video'ed my stride--but not one I would ever refer anyone to now). Also, buy a book on running technique.

The real time-proven technique to eliminate ITB problems is to stop running as soon as you start getting a hint of pain or tightness. I did this, fixed my gait (as well as I could), and went more minimalist on shoes and I haven't had problems since.

Thanks - I purchased a pair of minimalist shoes a couple of weeks ago

http://www.merrell.com/US/en-US/Prod...e?dimensions=0

First run of 3 miles on a dirt packed road felt ok, although I found myself still heel-striking a fair amount. Any suggestions for a book or dvd teaching running form?

[ERCougar]

Thanks - I purchased a pair of minimalist shoes a couple of weeks ago

http://www.merrell.com/US/en-US/Prod...e?dimensions=0

First run of 3 miles on a dirt packed road felt ok, although I found myself still heel-striking a fair amount. Any suggestions for a book or dvd teaching running form?

The one I used was Chi Running. There are a couple of controversial elements (the most striking one is his section on eliminating a forward pelvic tilt--I think he's wrong on this but it fits better into his Tai Chi theme), but on the whole, it's good and easy to follow.

I bought the PACE triathlon book and it has a section on running that I'm guessing parallels his running book but I liked the Chi running approach better. Either one gets good reviews though.

The other one I've heard is good is a video called Evo running.

EDIT: those look like good shoes, at least for not-long runs. I run in the Minimus for anything under 8 or so miles. Longer than that and the bottoms of my feet get sore. I run in Kinvara's for longer runs. I think chi running keeps a list of recommended shoes on the website, but I'm too lazy to look. Good running stores are up on this now and can help you for shoes for longer runs.

[OhioBlue]

I've been through some ITB flaring, though no serious injury yet, and did end up getting a foam roller. I also worked a couple stretches into my routine. But I think what's helped the most, since those just treat the symptoms, was to add a couple exercises into my strength training that focus specifically on the tensor fascia latae (hip shrugs) and the hip/gluteal stabilizers (eg one-legged squats, lateral leg raises).

I still use the roller from time to time, but bang for the buck I'd say (for me anyway) identifying the cause and working to fix it was better long-term. Easier to say than do sometimes, since the cause of ITB could be anything from muscle weaknesses to imbalances to improper footwear to deficiencies in form.

Good luck!

edit--I just noticed you said you bought some Merrells a couple weeks ago, and in your post you also said your ITB problems have been occurring for that same time span. Any possibility it was the change in footwear?

[Shaka]

Just a word of warning to you guys wearing the Five Fingers or equivalent. The foot surgeon at TOSH who operated on me last summer said those shoes are giving him a significant amount of business. He strongly cautioned against them.

[OhioBlue]

Just a word of warning to you guys wearing the Five Fingers or equivalent. The foot surgeon at TOSH who operated on me last summer said those shoes are giving him a significant amount of business. He strongly cautioned against them.

I've read/heard similar things, though it likely has more to do with the way people are using them than the shoe itself. But yeah, metatarsal SFXs are supposedly showing up in droves now.

[eldiente]

I've been through some ITB flaring, though no serious injury yet, and did end up getting a foam roller. I also worked a couple stretches into my routine. But I think what's helped the most, since those just treat the symptoms, was to add a couple exercises into my strength training that focus specifically on the tensor fascia latae (hip shrugs) and the hip/gluteal stabilizers (eg one-legged squats, lateral leg raises).

I still use the roller from time to time, but bang for the buck I'd say (for me anyway) identifying the cause and working to fix it was better long-term. Easier to say than do sometimes, since the cause of ITB could be anything from muscle weaknesses to imbalances to improper footwear to deficiencies in form.

Good luck!

edit--I just noticed you said you bought some Merrells a couple weeks ago, and in your post you also said your ITB problems have been occurring for that same time span. Any possibility it was the change in footwear?

I bought the shoes after the pain started hoping to change me gait enough to reduce pain. It's gotten worse since then.
A running friend suggested I consider the camber of the roads I run on and try to change it occasionally. I realized i tend to run with the sore knee on the downhill side, so hopefully changing that will make a difference
I've had a foam roller for almost a year and find it helpful but I don't spend enough time on it.
Thanks for the pointers.

[Moliere]

I've read/heard similar things, though it likely has more to do with the way people are using them than the shoe itself. But yeah, metatarsal SFXs are supposedly showing up in droves now.

As a VFF runner I'll say that this is probably the issue. I was lucky enough to start using them as I built up my miles after two injuries. That has helped me reduce the initial miles that I put on them, but even after running 3-4 miles per week in them I still would get really sore on my feet. I've started to only wear them 1-2 times per week and I'll wear my Frees 2-3 times per week. This keeps the pain away and allows me to work on my form in the VFFs.

I can see big time issues with someone who's doing 15-20 miles per week and they start right into them with a couple 5-6 mile runs right out of the bat.

If running has taught me anything, it's that patience is a virtue.

[ERCougar]

As a VFF runner I'll say that this is probably the issue. I was lucky enough to start using them as I built up my miles after two injuries. That has helped me reduce the initial miles that I put on them, but even after running 3-4 miles per week in them I still would get really sore on my feet. I've started to only wear them 1-2 times per week and I'll wear my Frees 2-3 times per week. This keeps the pain away and allows me to work on my form in the VFFs.

I can see big time issues with someone who's doing 15-20 miles per week and they start right into them with a couple 5-6 mile runs right out of the bat.

If running has taught me anything, it's that patience is a virtue.

I'm sure that's the issue.
In some ways, I think completely out of shape people who decide to start running are the perfect candidates for these because their aerobic fitness will keep them from injury. A couch to 5K program would be perfect. It baffles me that experienced runners would make a change like that, but they do all the time.

[Pheidippides]

Good news on the injury front: simple tendinitis, and not as bad as we feared (also some tendy-ov-something that means degraded tendon from the time I broke my ankle 12 years ago, but we knew about that).

One more week in the boot, one week of rest after that, and then back to running.

Also, and 'soup especially may be interested in this, my podiatrist recommends barefoot training to help this not happen again.

[Moliere]

Good news on the injury front: simple tendinitis, and not as bad as we feared (also some tendy-ov-something that means degraded tendon from the time I broke my ankle 12 years ago, but we knew about that).

One more week in the boot, one week of rest after that, and then back to running.

Also, and 'soup especially may be interested in this, my podiatrist recommends barefoot training to help this not happen again.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Although I felt a bit beaten up after yesterday's TRX workout, I headed out this morning and did and easy 6.2 in just under an hour. As I finished, I remember coming to this forum for help a couple of years ago when I was considering running a 10K for the first time. I wasn't a runner at the time, and the longest I'd ever run in my life was about four miles. I'm still really not a runner, as I only hit the road twice a week, but one of those runs is always 6-7 miles, I usually feel great when I finish, and it has made my life better.

Of course, pretty much everyone who reads this thread already knows that running really isn't all that hard to do, even if you're a geezer, and the benefits are great. The key thing is to take it slow, be patient and stick with it. I appreciate the encouragement that got me here.

[smokymountainrain]

Of course, pretty much everyone who reads this thread already knows that running really isn't all that hard to do, even if you're a geezer, and the benefits are great. The key thing is to take it slow, be patient and stick with it. I appreciate the encouragement that got me here.

As a guy who is just starting to run again, I couldn't disagree more with the bolded, but it's good to hear you feel that way even being a more experienced geezer than I am. The advice to take it slow and be patient is sound advice that I will need to keep coming back to as I tend to be ridiculously impatient when it comes to my exercise.